Warner exec proposes flat music fee for ISPs
updated 05:00 pm EDT, Fri March 28, 2008
Warner on Flat Music Fee
Warner Music Group has revealed that it's in the midst of developing an organization that it hopes will turn around mounting losses at traditional music labels. Headed by former Geffen label head Jim Griffin, the unnamed effort would take the concepts behind Universal's Total Music to a more label-independent format. Rather than send music to one label, customers of the service would see a fee for unlimited music downloads bundled into the cost of the Internet service that would be used for a general money pool; the money would then be distributed across all labels to compensate both themselves and the artists as they see fit.
Griffin noted that nothing was set in place as to pricing or other details, but explained that even a small fee would create more money than today's segmented industry. At $5 per month, the plan would offer about $20 billion in total revenue versus the $10 billion of the existing market. Poorer countries could charge far less but still make up for the difference through sheer population numbers, while at a certain point users might also have the option of completely free music in exchange for ads.
The proposal has already drawn criticism that suggests the service would be a "tax" on users for music and protect the major labels, whose wider catalogs would make it difficult for independents to join the pool and take a share of revenue. However, Griffin explained that Warner wouldn't seek to make the fee mandatory through the government or other means.
The label official also added he was contracted to develop the organization managing the service over the course of three years and that he believed labels should avoid filing lawsuits against individuals, which he believed did nothing but antagonize potential customers.
Slippery Slope
03/28, 05:20pm reply
If this actually passed you can bet the next fee they slap on will be for movies and that for sure will be higher than their suggest 5/m for music. Where do you stop them then? games/software all these things get pirated. I think its a terrible idea.
Guest
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Joined: Nov 1999
warner exec proposes
03/28, 06:07pm reply
"Give us/me your money. I don't care how you get it, just give it to me - er, us."
Flying Meat
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Joined: Jan 2007
"the label official
03/28, 06:18pm reply
also added... that he believed labels should avoid filing lawsuits against individuals, which he believed did nothing but antagonize potential customers."
gee. ya think? And how many years and lawsuits, since RIAA started using this tactic, did it take to figure THAT one out?
Flying Meat
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Joined: Jan 2007
scam
03/28, 07:03pm reply
This revenue will be distributed completely arbitrarily, completely unrepresentative of what people are actually downloading, and you can bet that independent artists will see about zilch from all this. This is just propping up a failing business model through extortion. It'd be a shame if *something* should happen to yer fancy ISP, wouldn't it...
WiseWeasel
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Joined: Apr 1999
not fair
03/28, 07:16pm reply
Not everyone downloads illegal content. Why do I have to pay a tax because others don't want to follow laws?
bhuot
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Joined: Nov 2003
choice?
03/28, 07:32pm reply
Unless this additional service and its associated fee is offered as an option to ISP subscribers, this is nothing more than a tax. My parents, who are in their 70s and have NEVER downloaded any music, would be forced to subsidize music and artists that they find appalling. UNFAIR, but typical of the clueless music industry.
Guest
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Joined: Nov 1999
breathtaking arrogance
03/28, 11:35pm reply
these people are so obsessed with themselves... what the h*** makes them think we all download their music? This is incredible. Since when did they become some kind of nationalised (internationalised) utility?
ophiochos
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Nov 2006
It's called chutzbah!
03/28, 11:41pm reply
You gotta hand it 'em, these b******* sure got nerve!
Why should I, or anyone else, pay to allow a minority of people to steal music?
I don't download music. I actually buy CDs. I prefer sound quality over quantity. AND a disk with cover art, etc. to add to my music collection.
The formula in the pop music world goes like this: If 2 tracks out of 12 on an album are good, it's a hit. Now that people can cherry pick the 2 decent songs from an album, they're no longer stuck with the dross. The record companies get stuck with it.
Now if the QUALITY of the music they're hawking were higher, they would surely sell more. Hair styles, fashion statements, implants and dance numbers only take this stuff so far.
JeffHarris
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Joined: Oct 1999
sounds familiar
03/28, 11:47pm reply
Hmmmmm. Didn't the American colonists have a problem being unnecessarily taxed without representation? So they want to tax us without our consent for something that MOST of us don't do?
Grrrr
lamewing
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2004
It scares them
03/29, 12:09am reply
It scares them to realize that in todays internet, they have NO PLACE and they serve NO purpose.
They just get in the way. And keep all the money for themselves.
en
Eldernorm
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Joined: Sep 2007